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NFL owners, players have new agreement in place

The NFL and its players have come to an agreement at long last. For more than four months, the owners had locked out the players and tried negotiating a new labor deal for both sides, according to multiple sources.

The new collective bargaining agreement will run for 10 years, meaning the deal runs through the April 2021 draft. As part of the deal, players will get an average of 47 percent of all gross revenues

There were several points during the past couple months where it appeared this agreement might never get done, but Judge Arthur Boylan, appointed as mediator by Judge Susan Richard Nelson, got the two sides talking and on the road to a fair deal.

At one point last week, the owners announced the ratification of a new CBA, but the players said there was no deal.

To get the nod from the players, the NFL negotiated fewer padded practices during training camp and during the season and settled the Brady vs. NFL antitrust lawsuit.

Beginning Wednesday, NFL teams would begin opening training camps on a staggered basis. The goal is for teams to have two weeks to prepare for their first preseason game. The Ravens first preseason game is Aug. 11 at Philadelphia.

Teams will be able to cut players, establishing a waiver wire, beginning Thursday. The league year would begin no later than Aug. 4, which is the deadline for the players to recertify their union.